Dealing with Unreasonable Student Demands

Handling the demands of whining students becomes most difficult at the end of the semester. How can we manage, with grace and good humor, the small minority of students whose last minute excuses and requests give us headaches? This is the topic of my article “Coping with Oy Vey Students,” which appeared recently in Inside Higher Education.

My premise is that we need to find respectful but effective ways of coping with the unreasonable demands of the small but obnoxious few that cause so much of our frustration as teachers. I list common requests -- such as “Can I still get a B?” -- and “translations” of how professors interpret what the questions “really” mean.

Usually, students don’t seem aware of the off-putting impact of their statements – they are just somewhat immature and egocentric. I counsel patience, empathy and generosity when responding to them. Inwardly, of course, we can’t help but roll our eyes and sigh. Oy Vey!

“Coping with Oy Vey Students” was intended as a humorous comment on the common excuses and unreasonable requests that all professors and teaching assistants hear from undergraduates. Some readers of my article, however, responded quite critically. So I’ll be especially curious to hear your thoughts and reactions: please share your comments at the IHE web site or on my academic coach blog.

Have a wonderful and restful holiday. Unless of course, you’re getting ready for job interviews at the Modern Language Association conference or other professional meeting – in that case the web resource and book of the week are for you. GOOD LUCK, job hunters!

And best wishes,

Mary McKinney, Ph.D. Clinical Psychologist Academic Coach www.SuccessfulAcademic.com

BOOK OF THE WEEK:   Best Answers to the 201 Most Frequently Asked Interview Questions by Matthew DeLuca.   This book is targeted towards a general job-hunting audience, so there is much that doesn’t apply to academics on the market. However, I think that this book is very useful for helping interviewees think through ways of answering classic questions such as “what is your greatest weakness.” It will also help you have a plan in case any “illegal” personal questioned are asked (which happens all too frequently.)   Buy this Book at Amazon

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